Payson Keeler, Covergirl
by elena.hepner
Summary: After Payson makes her legendary comeback, she's given a life of luxury. So what happens when she turns into the gymnast she always hated?
1. Chapter 1

She spun into her last turn and landed perfectly on her toes, arms in an arch over her head. The music faded with a series of trills, and Payson Keeler beamed brightly.

After breaking her back and being told by dozens of doctors that she would never, ever return to the world of gymnastics that had become her life, she had defied them all and come back. Perfecting her new floor routine in a new style was just the beginning. In the minutes she had performed, she saw herself in her old dream of performing for the Olympic judges, in a second she saw herself perform perfectly a routine she would never have envisioned for herself six months ago. Her body glowed.

Sasha clapped and cheered, and even though he was just one man, she felt the entire Olympic stadium on their feet, cheering for her. He picked her up and spun her around, and Payson felt happier then she ever had in her entire life. When he set her back on her feet, she felt braver then ever, and she grabbed Sasha's neck, pulled herself up to his face, and kissed him.

She knew what she was doing was so wrong, but she did it anyway. Just as they touched, Sasha pushed her away.

She knew. She knew it was wrong, and she knew he had every right to push her away, but it still stung. She saw the shocked look in his eyes as he held her firmly by the shoulders. And in a moment of a sheer panic, Payson Keeler turned and ran for her life.

"Payson!" she heard him call, but he remained where he was. She left her gym bag in her locker and ran the two miles home, her eyes stinging with hot tears of panic, frustration, and rejection.

She sat down on the curb outside her house. She couldn't go inside like this, or her mom would certainly ask questions. She didn't want anyone to know. _You stupid, stupid idiot._

Payson took a deep breath. A pair of bright headlights turned onto the street. It was dark, but not enough that she didn't recognize a familiar pickup truck. She was too embarrassed to face Sasha, but knew she couldn't run now. He had already seen her, and she couldn't very well avoid him at The Rock.

He pulled up next to her and rolled down the window. "Payson? May I speak to you?"

_I might as well as get this over with._

"Yes, Sasha?"

"Payson, are you okay?" he asked. There was genuine concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Payson responded gruffly, masking the evident tears.

"Payson," he struggled to find words, "go home. Get some sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow."

"No," she said, firmly. "No, I don't want to talk about it. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever."

And she went inside with at least a small shred of her dignity.


	2. Chapter 2 A Resolution

It had been two weeks since Payson kissed Sasha in the gym, but it felt like two months.

Somehow, an altered version of their kiss had been leaked, and Sasha had been badmouthed endlessly. Parents of the Rock girls were demanding that he leave. Accusations of all sorts had been made against him since Ellen Beals had shown up at a parents board meeting displaying the photo.

Payson took out her anger on the vault. She ran, furious, and pounded both the springboard, the vault itself and the mat as she performed her new artistic vault and consequently fell flat on her back. She punched the mat with her fist as she pulled herself up and came face-to-face with Sasha.

"Payson-"

"I know, I know," she said, "slow down on the run and touch down lighter in my Yurchenko-"

"Payson, _stop_." Her coach grabbed her shoulder and stopped her from starting over. "Payson, we need to talk. My office. Now."

It wasn't a negotiation any more. She reluctantly followed Sasha across the floor, very aware to the stares of her teammates as the gym fell silent.

When the door was closed, Sasha pulled a shredder out from underneath his desk. "Look Payson," he said, gesturing for her to sit. "We can't change what happened. But we can change how we look at it."

"Yes?" she said, suddenly interested. He pulled two copies of the infamous photo out of the top drawer. He handed one of them to her. Payson's cheeks burned as she saw, once again, herself embracing her coach.

"I'm shredding this photo." He dropped it into the slot, and Payson watched it turn into tiny snowflakes of paper. "It doesn't mean I'm forgetting about it, but I'm not going to let it affect our coach-athlete relationship. Now you can choose whether to hold onto this, or to let it go."

Payson squirmed. "I made a mistake," she said, allowing room for him to respond.

"Yes," he acknowledged.

She sighed. "But I'm letting it go." She dropped her copy into the shredder too.

"Good." _He sounds like Dr. Phil._

"Yep." She stood, and turned, ready to return to training.

"Oh, and Payson?" he asked, as she rested her hand on the doorknob. Her heart jumped.

"You were right about that Yurchenko." He smirked, and she rolled her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3 Worlds

**Sorry for the short chapters. I wanted to recap on the whole Payson/Sasha kiss before moving on to the alternate parts! **

The atmosphere was full of tension. Nearly every parent of a Rock gymnast was seated around the table. Steve Tanner stood at the front, and Sasha only feet away. Steve looked hard at Sasha, and then faced the Parents' Board.

"Would all who oppose Coach Sasha Belov coaching our girls any further please raise their hands?"

Kim Keeler counted mentally. Over half the Board had raised their hands. Her heart sunk. "Steve," she pleaded, "isn't there any other way? I mean- can't we just try to explain this?"

Steve Tanner glared at her. "Kim, I realize that Payson is Lauren's friend, but that is no excuse for allowing a-a pedophile to continue coaching our children!"

Her mouth fell open. "There was no evidence to support the fact that Sasha did _anything _inappropriate, Steve!"

"Then what do you call this?" Steve asked, producing another enlarged copy of the infamous photograph.

Alex Cruz stood. His hand had not been among those who'd voted against Sasha, Kim was glad to see. "Steve, what do you say we just call all of this off until we can find some real proof."

Steve held his ground. "Kim, Alex, the Parents' Board has spoken. And they have voted to prohibit Sasha Belov from coming near our girls." He turned to Sasha, who had been silently watching the action.

"Sasha Belov, you are from hereon suspended from coaching any of the Rock gymnasts until further notice."

Sasha nodded, and walked silently out of the meeting. Without a word, Kim, Alex, Ronnie, and the parents who believed him turned to Steve Tanner, and glared at him.

* * *

"Payson, get up, there's something we need to talk about." Her mother's voice woke her up early Sunday morning. She slunk out of bed and followed her mother to the kitchen table, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning, sunshine," her dad joked. She stopped short as she saw who was sitting at the table.

_Sasha._

"Sasha? What are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly aware of her retainer still in and her hair sticking out in every direction.

"Sit down, Payson, we need to talk," he said in response, and she joined him, and her mother and father around the table.

"Pay," her mom began, "I know Mr. Tanner has forbidden Sasha from coaching at the Rock," she began tentatively. "But he can't forbid him from coaching you outside of the Rock." A grin broke across her face, but Payson was still bewildered.

"But how could you coach me outside of the Rock?" she asked, looking pointedly at Sasha. "I'm not switching gyms, and I doubt anyone particularly wants to hire you right now anyway. No offense," she added quickly.

Her dad broke in. "I've decided to rent out a space about 20 minutes from here so that you and Sasha can resume your training. It's not the Rock, but it should get the job done until this all blows over."

Payson's smile was suddenly as wide as her mother's. "Well, what are we still doing here then?" she asked, jumping up from the table to change into a leo.

* * *

Kaylie stared at her plate. Her mother had arranged eggs, cantaloupe, and melon chunks, a healthy breakfast for an elite gymnast. Her mother danced around the kitchen, singing along to one of her own 80s pop hits. As soon as she left, Kaylie dumped her breakfast into the trash and then set her plate in the sink. Her stomach hurt awfully, but as she looked in the mirror in the hallway, she saw a visible change in her stomach. She stepped on the scale in the living room and weighed in at 105. Still way too much if she wanted to nail the double Arabian mount. She sighed.

She drank a little water, not enough to add water weight but enough to keep her hydrated throughout practice. She grabbed a half leaf of lettuce and tried to eat it slowly. Ronnie returned. "Still hungry?" she asked, seeing the lettuce in Kaylie's hand.

Kaylie just shrugged and went upstairs to change into her leo.

* * *

Payson bounded across the unfamiliar floor. It was easy enough to perform on it. Most floors were. But it still wasn't the Rock.

Sasha started the music. Payson unfolded from her beginning pose and started into a series of graceful spins and simple flips before getting into the moves with the higher degrees of difficulty - punch front, full in-full out, double layout and Arabian double front. She slipped from the last power move into a graceful passé pirouette and then stiffened her body into her final pose, arms outstretched, barely breathing. She glowed. She knew she'd performed well, but nevertheless pulled herself off the mat and said, "Okay. Hit me with it."

Sasha clapped. "It's beautiful, Payson. Flawless."

Payson blushed. It had been awhile since she gotten real praise from Sasha. He walked over to the mirrored wall and sat on a pile of mats, stroking his unshaven chin.

"Sasha?" she asked timidly. "Are you okay?"

"Payson," he asked her suddenly. "Are you ready, right now, to embrace your destiny?"

* * *

Austin, Damon, Ronnie and Alex Cruz, Kim and Mark Keeler, Steve Tanner, Summer, Chloe and Brian Kmetko, among several other parents of National Team members were gathered around the television in the small lobby of the Boulder Gymnasium. They nervously watched Emily perform her beam routine, but most were only concerned for their respective girl. She fell on her dismount. Chloe's heart sunk, and she knew Damon was feeling the same thing.

"Kaylie Cruz," called the NGO rep, "uneven bars." Kaylie shook slightly as she walked onto the mat.

"I've gotten Kaylie to begin her routine with a round-off Arabian mount," Ellen Beals said, following the NGO over to where they would observe Kaylie. "Only Genji Cho has successfully performed it in competition."

As Kaylie chalked up and began her run onto the springboard, she felt her heart beating in double time. That was unusual, it usually went slower during her run. She performed the mount almost flawlessly - until she grasped the bar. She couldn't hold herself up and fell to the mat.

"What happened?" Ronnie exclaimed from the viewing area."She worked so hard on that move!"

Austin sighed. "She's weak, and tired," he tried to explain. "That's what happens when you starve yourself." He tried to keep the _I told you so _out of his voice.

Kaylie performed her routine with a simpler mount, and although it was almost perfect, it was mediocre. She didn't smile when she landed her dismount perfectly. She felt like she might fall over.

* * *

"Lauren Tanner," Marcus called, "vault." Lauren turned to the end of the vault and begin to walk towards it when a familiar accent caught her by surprise.

"Stop!" it commanded, and Lauren turned to find Demetri Belov standing on the floor.

"You Lauren?" he asked, pointing at her. She nodded, still in awe. Demetri Belov had been even greater in his day then Sasha, perhaps. "My Sasha wants me to stand in today in place of him. But he told me that you are prepared well, physically and technically. He is only worried," he said, placing a hand on Emily, Lauren, and Kaylie's head in turn, "about up here. Stick together, and you will shine. Work like a team, and you will succeed. Go."

Lauren performed a better vault then she ever had before. Kaylie's floor routine was strong, and with the added encouragement of her teammates, it was beautiful. After the standings of round one were posted though, Kaylie was in fourth place and Lauren in sixth - just close enough to make the team. But Emily was in eighth, just two spots away. She would still need a miracle to beat out Tasha and Tessa.

* * *

"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" Payson asked, suited up in her Rock warm ups. Sasha had explained exactly what he wanted her to do, and Payson was ecstatic, if not a little leery.

"Payson, I've never been more certain of anything in my life."

They walked right through the viewing area and into the gym. All the Rock family and friends were quick to follow.

"Well, I don't know about y'all," Chloe addressed the small group, "but I'm not about to miss this!"

"Mr. Belov, stop right there." Ellen held her hand out in from of Sasha, as if to bar him from going any further.

He didn't stop walking.

* * *

He addressed the NGO.

"I brought Payson Keeler, and with all due respect, we're not leaving until you've seen what she can do."

The committee whispered amongst themselves for a few nerve-wracking moments.

"In France," Sasha continued, "you saw Payson Keeler make a comeback as a power gymnast. Today, I want you to see Payson Keeler make her comeback as an artistic gymnast." Without waiting for further acknowledgement, Demetri started Payson's music, and she began her breathtaking performance.

It was most stunning thing Lauren had ever seen.

With just a tinge of jealousy, she cheered on her best friend. Even the committee rose in giving her a standing ovation. Becca beamed at her. Payson had never performed more beautifully in her life, even as a power gymnast. Sasha was certain the NGO had never seen anything like it. Payson saluted the committee and beamed to the audience.


	4. Chapter 4 Back To The Rock

**A/N Sorry. I realize that much of the story has been written about things that any MIOBI fan already knows about. This chapter will be much different. Also, I know I've included some about Kaylie, and I am planning to delve into her eating disorder but in a different way, and Kelly's issues, and touch on Lauren and Emily a bit.**

**Keep reviewing! Thank you so much!**

After Kaylie had been rushed out by a team of EMTs in an ambulance, the quiet returned. Sasha had gone with the Cruzes and Austin to the hospital to be with Kaylie. Payson understood, but wished he had stayed to hear what was about to happen.

Marcus stepped to the microphone. "We will now announce the names of the girls who have been selected for the US Worlds Team," he said with a slight smile. Ellen Beals looked ticked.

"In first place," Marcus began, "from Boston, Andrea Conway." Everyone clapped politely as Andrea accepted her jacket, but really, they were all waiting for the big news. "The committee has decided to hold second place vacant until we receive a full medical evaluation of Kaylie Cruz. If Kaylie Cruz is deemed unable to compete, then she will lose her spot on the Worlds team as well as the National team." Payson bit her lip, and saw that Lauren too was gnawing on her fingernails. _What was wrong with Kaylie?_

"In third place, Lauren Tanner of the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Training Center," but all Lauren heard was _Lauren Tanner...Tanner...Leslie Tanner._ She wished even more that her mother was here to see this, and hot, bitter tears sprung to her eyes as she let the NGO rep put her Worlds jacket on. Her dad had never looked more proud. Summer was smiling at her, and all Lauren wanted to do was hug them, both of them. She forgave her dad. But she held her ground and stood on the podium as hot tears streamed down her face.

"In fourth place, Tessa Grande, from the Denver Elite Gymnastics Training Center!" Lauren smirked a bit as Tessa made her way up. The little snot had been so certain that she and KP would take second & first, respectively, and now Kelly was benched with an ankle injury while Tessa took home fourth.

"In fifth place, Emily Kmetko of the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Training Center!" All of the Rock family and friends cheered loudly, but were quickly silenced when Emily was nowhere to be found.

"All right, moving on, and finally, in sixth place, by special vote," Marcus winked at Ellen, "Payson Keeler, of the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Training Center!"

Payson couldn't breathe.

Becca gave her a little shove. "Get up there, superstar!"

So Payson accepted her jacket and joined Lauren on the podium.

* * *

**THREE WEEKS LATER**

Payson stepped just to the right. The bright lights were beaming down on her and she felt herself began to sweat. _Calm down, _she told herself, but a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Step back to the left a little, honey," the photographer said. "The light looks awful funny."

She shifted her weight a bit until the photographer looked satisfied. The stretchy gold leo she was wearing was awfully comfortable, if not a bit over the top. Her hair was done back in a typical Lauren style, which made sense, since Lauren had been the one to do it. It was braided in a French braid across the top of her head like a headband, and Lauren had tied it into a braided bun at the back of her head. Various gold medals hung around her neck in place of the ones she'd destroyed after the accident. She held a plastic trophy up and beamed a Lauren smile.

"That's right, honey, now act shy," the photographer barked. Payson bit her lip to keep from laughing. She had to act? "Perfect, that's perfect." Payson smiled. This modeling thing was easier than she thought.

"That's enough, that's enough," Sasha yelled over the multiple photographers, camera teams, and journalists begging to get a look at the comeback kid. He gestured to the Adidas photographer who was finishing up Payson's shoot. "You, out. We're done." She flinched at the aggressive tone in his voice and scurried to finish packing up her things.

"Sashaaaaaaa." Payson whined jokingly. He looked down at her.

"Okay, okay, I'll get back to training," she said and headed towards the mat to start stretching. He stopped her.

"Like that?" he asked, gesturing to her gold leo, Lauren-esque hair, and makeup. "No. Wash your face off, change into a practice leo, and then come back out and get started. You'll do 100 push-ups before we get started on your beam routine." Payson sighed. She knew he was only being so hard on her because she'd had so little practice time in the last two weeks, but he knew as well as she did that she needed all the endorsements to help support her family, whose financial situation had gone downhill after her dad had lost his job. She'd already done a photo shoot for Adidas, a commercial for Secret, signed to an ad campaign with Got Milk?, and was negotiating a deal with Pantene, and turned down offers from Victoria's Secret, , and Pepsi (hey, if she couldn't drink it, she wasn't going to pretend she did).

In the locker room, she was stopped by Kelly Parker, who'd made the move to the Rock gym when Sasha and the Rock had been chosen as the coach and host gym of the World team. "Hey, Pay," she said, changing into her new Rock warmups, "what was that you were saying about you training harder than me at the invitational?"

Payson stood, openmouthed, as Kelly moved around her and left the locker room.

The lights flashed in front of her eyes, and the scene unfolded in front of her from only months before.

_You're such a legend in your own mind. While you've been selling mascara and blush, I've been training, day and night._

_You're such a legend in your own mind._

_In your own mind._

_In your own mind._

"Payson? You okay?" Lauren shook her by the shoulder. "Nice hair, by the way," she added with a smirk.

"Wha-oh, sorry Lo."

"Let's go," Lauren said, and turned to leave.

Payson changed into one of her nicer, competition leos - the one she'd worn when attempting to petition her way onto the national team. She figured at very least it might give her the humility she needed. She followed Lauren out onto the floor, where Sasha stood, tapping his foot.

"Payson? What took so long? Now go, 100 push-ups." He motioned for her to get down on the floor, and squatted next to her to speak as she began her workout.

"Payson, I'd like to start off your routine with a front tuck mount." Sasha stroked his stubble as he flicked his eyes over her arms, her legs, and finally her back, visualizing the mount.

"Sasha! That's way too easy, I was thinking something more like a straddle mount, like Emily did at World trials."

"Well, you're not getting to think about your routine, I am. And a straddle mount is great, but everyone does that. Emily's done it. Lauren's done it dozens of times. You need something more unique, so the world can see you're not the same gymnast you were before. Break the status quo."

"Sasha, this isn't High School Musical," Payson protested, leaning over on her side. "Maybe a front tuck mount will make the world think that I can't do something harder than that."

Sasha sighed. "A front tuck mount is a C skill. Get back to your push ups. And if you wait to dazzle the judges on the mount, it'll be so much less satisfying when you hit a standing piked full, layout series, and a triple full dismount."

Payson stopped again. "A triple full? But that's hardly been used since Amy Chow!"

Sasha gestured for her to continue. "Are you Amy Chow?"

Payson shook her head. "Heck no."

Sasha smiled. "Then you can be a heck of a lot better."

**A/N: I'm fascinated by gymnastics, but I hardly know anything about it. So to those of you that are criticizing me for making stupid mistakes on gymnastics terminology, I deeply apologize. PLEASE REVIEW! It makes my day :)**


	5. Chapter 5 Drama Queens

**Lilli: Thank you! Yes that's right, I wanted Sasha to stay and always felt like he was being a drama queen by leaving, so I decided I wanted him to stay.**

**Carla: Totally agree. It didn't seem logical, but then, it's TV. Hahaha!**

**nicole: Thank you so much!**

**Izzyb101: Thanks! That's very sweet of you, I will!**

**I love you, all of you! :)**

Kaylie opened her eyes. Sunshine was streaming through the window in her hospital room, but Kaylie didn't feel warm. She felt cold under the heavy woolen blanket. A nurse was checking her vitals and tidying up the room, but otherwise it was empty. _Where's my mom and dad? _she thought to herself, blinking sleep away. A nurse handed her a plastic cup full of a sweet-smelling milkshake. She stuck her tongue out in disgust.

After some prodding from the nurse, Kaylie sucked down her milkshake reluctantly. "You know, this is probably _full _of calories," she said to the nurse in a whiny voice, hoping to sway her.

"That's what I'm hoping," the nurse responded without missing a beat. "You need to get some calories back in you."

Kaylie changed her tone to sound stronger and more confident. "I feel fine. In fact, I bet I've gained some weight. I'm sure of it."

The nurse stopped. "All right. You want to weigh, let's weigh in." She pulled a doctor's scale out of the closet.

Kaylie pulled back the blanket and stepped on the cool hospital floor with her bare feet. She shivered. She stepped onto the scale and the nurse adjusted it. The little arrow that had become her worst enemy stopped just before 100 and stood at attention. Kaylie winced.

"Well, that's good, we're making progress, but Dr. Walker wants you to get up to at least 110 before we let you go."

Kaylie gasped. "110 pounds? But I'm an _athlete_! I need to stay in shape, I can't afford to just pack on the pounds!" The nurse sighed and shook her head. "Come here," she said, gesturing to a mirror on the inside of the closet door. Kaylie had been dreading this. She approached the mirror cautiously.

Her eyes were sunken in. Her gorgeous brown hair lay flat and lifeless on her head, and her skin was oily and pale. She lifted up her hospital gown and saw that she could no longer see her own ribs without straining her body. An angry tear slipped down her pale cheek.

"Kaylie?" Her mother's familiar thoughts broke through her thoughts. "Kay, honey, are you okay?" Her mother rushed over and wrapped her in a hug. And for the first time since she'd found out about the affair, she hugged her mother back.

"Kaylie, baby, are you all right?" Her father's hand stroked her head. He put his arms around her too. Kaylie grew hot. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her mother's secret. "Dad? Can I tell you something?" He drew back.

"Yes, baby?" He put his arm around her mother, and she lost her nerve. "Uh, nevermind, I was just wondering how Leo's doing."

* * *

Payson tilted her body forward and propelled herself forward and off the beam, landing flat on her back. She slapped the mat.

"Sasha, I just can't get this triple full," she said. Sasha shook his head.

"Don't ever say you can't. You can do anything you work hard enough at. It may take you a bit longer, but you can do anything," he resoonded. Payson smiled.

"Okay," she said, and mounted the beam again.

* * *

Lauren breathed in. And out. And in. And out. And read the paper she held in her hand. And read it again.

_STEVEN P. TANNER_

_paid (in full) a sum of nineteen thousand and eighteen hundred dollars and ninety-four cents ($19,800.94) on 4/14 to Welsh Jewelers for one (1) sterling silver band inset with four 2-karat diamonds and one 10-karat diamond._

_Thank you for your business!_

_Welsh Jewelers, 42 Longoria St, Boulder CO_

She threw it at the ground and stomped on it. He couldn't. He wouldn't. He did.

And right now, while her father was on a romantic dinner with his little puppy dog, Amber, he was probably down on one knee proposing to her this very second. Lauren tore off the new Tiffany necklace he'd given her and threw it on the ground. Then she locked herself in her room and cried herself to sleep.

Steve Tanner arrived home that night around midnight. "Lauren? I've got big news, honey..."

* * *

The next morning, Lauren awoke before six. She slipped into a leo and her Rock warm-ups. She braided her hair back into a sophisticated French braid and slipped out of the house before six-thirty.

She was at the gym when Sasha opened, at six-forty-five promptly. "What are you doing here so early?" he asked, when he saw her. "Lauren, you know we have the Denver Elite invitational today, and you need your sleep! I told each and every one of you you weren't required until eight!"

Lauren nodded. "Yes, Sasha, I'm sorry, I just was worried about my vault and wanted to work on it a bit before Denver gets here."

Sasha sighed. "All right, Lauren, but only for a half hour. I don't want you wearing yourself out before we even get started."

"Yes, Sasha," Lauren replied, and dropped her bag, rushing over to the end of the vault.

She began to run, without stretching, and propelled herself into the Amanar she'd been practicing in secret. She stuck it cold. Her body hurt, but it felt good. It was good pain. At least, it hurt less then thinking about the previous night. She walked to the end again and prepared herself for another one.

_See, Daddy? I can do things _without _your money._

* * *

Payson walked into Sasha's office. "You wanted to see me, Sasha?" He nodded. "Sit down, Payson, I'm thinking."

She sat down.

"Payson, I've been thinking. I've just gotten word that Andrea Conway is training at the Denver Elite, and she'll be competing today. While I don't think she's a threat to you individually, I am worried she's a threat to this team."

Payson swallowed. "And...," she trailed off, allowing him to fill in the blank.

"I want you to do your triple full routine."

Payson gasped. "Sasha, it's not done! I don't even nail the dismount fifty percent of the time!" There was no way she could perform a half-finished routine in front of Marty, in front of Kelly Parker, in front of Andrea Conway...

Sasha smiled. "You're saying it wrong, Payson. You _nail_ the dismount fifty percent of the time. And it's _good_. Besides, the routine you performed as a power gymnast hasn't been practiced since just after your surgery. Your muscles don't remember it. And your triple full routine even if you fell flat on your back is worth more points then a flawless performance of your old routine."

And then it occurred to her. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" she said, recalling how Sasha had wanted her to keep working on the triple full and neglect the power routine.

A glint of mischief was visible in his eyes. "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

Now it was Payson's turn to smile. "Well, anything that shocks Marty can't be bad," she replied. "I trust you, Sasha."

"Thank you, Payson."

She looked out the window at the blonde girl who flew through the air. "Is that - Lauren?" she asked, in disbelief. Sure, Lauren was good, but the last time Payson had seen her attempt an Amanar she'd fallen flat on her back and stomped out of the gym. "You've got her doing an _Amanar _vault?"

Sasha stood and strode over to join her at the window. "No, she's been practicing here for about twenty minutes but I haven't gone near her yet, that was _flawless._" Payson sighed. Sasha had already found his new project.

* * *

"Lauren? Lauren!" Sasha called, striding across the gym as Lauren prepared to do her twenty-seventh vault. She'd only fallen on three. She stopped and brushed the chalk off her legs. "Sorry, Sasha, I'll go," she said, walking off of the mat. Vaulting was very therapeutic. Each time she'd stuck the landing, it was like one more knife in that wench's heart.

"Lauren, that was amazing. How long have you been practicing that?" Sasha asked, stopping her cold.

"Um, a few days." She was ecstatic. Someone was finally noticing her!

"Well, I hope you're prepared for a longer workout, because you're doing that vault today in the invitational!"

She hoped her father would come.

"I am?"

"Of course you are. Get back to work, now." Sasha stood and watched her perform vault after vault. No one wonder Payson was stuck up. The spotlight was a nice place to be.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter is going to the Denver invitational! Can't wait! Anything specific you would like to see happen?**


	6. MIOBI Index Filler chapter

**I know not everyone who reads this watched the show so here's some backstory on the characters, places, and skills as described in the show until I get a new chapter up! Thanks!**

**Payson Keeler - **Main character in this story, but one of four protagonists on the show. Payson is a talented power gymnast whose herniated disk injury causes her to fall at Nationals and break her back. After being told she wouldn't do gymnastics ever again, she did an experimental procedure and was able to fix it and return, thus the many mentions of "comeback kid". However, her body changes, so she can no longer do gymnastics the way she used to and is forced to switch to artistic gymnastics. The story picks up after she has finally mastered the artistic technique Sasha created for her.

**Kaylie Cruz - **Supporting character in the story & protagonist on the show. Kaylie is a gymnast who comes from a wealthy background (her mom is a former pop star and her dad is a former pro athlete) and doesn't seem to take gymnastics seriously until Nationals, when she breaks up with her boyfriend to focus on gymnastics and stands up to her pushy dad. She shows how serious she is about the sport and wins the National Championship. When the story picks up (after the Worlds trials) it is discovered that she has developed an eating disorder, anorexia.

**Lauren Tanner - **Spoiled brat of the Rock, but shows a special strength on beam, as she is called "Queen of the Beam". Her father dated Summer, his personal assistant (whom I left out mostly in this story) but in my story he is dating Amber, a former Olympic gymnast who Lauren hates. When the story picks up, Lauren has lost her estranged mother and is rising into a higher place of respect at the Rock as she matures and works harder on her own instead of showing off for boys.

**Emily Kmetko - **Relatively new to the Rock. Emily comes from a poor background and is an unfocused gymnast, much like Kaylie before Nationals. She is not focused on as much in this story but when it picks up, she has been arrested for settling her brother's seizure medicine from the pharmacy after she couldn't afford it. In the show she becomes pregnant in what would be the next few chapters but I have decided to leave that out.

**Kelly Parker - **Long time rival of Payson, Kelly is the current World champion at the time of the story. She has a pushy mother who only values her for her gymnastics skills and has a cutthroat attitude towards her daughter's sport. SHe won't be focused on much in this story either. She is unable to compete at World trials because of a wrist injury but soon recovers.

**Sasha Belov - **The Rock head coach. Sasha is from Romania originally and speaks with a British accent. He wants what's best for the girls and sometimes pushes them past their own limits to show them what they can accomplish.

**The Rock **- The gym the girls train at. Set in Boulder, Colorado.

**Denver Elite **- The gym Kelly Parker trained at formerly and the Rock's biggest rivals.

**Beam - **Lauren's specialty. A long, skinny plank set several feet off the ground. This is a female gymnast's apparatus.

**Uneven Bars - **Payson's specialty before Nationals. A high bar and a low bar that gymnasts swing off of.

**Vault - **A long track to run down, a springboard, and a vault itself. The gymnasts run up, bounce off the springboard, hit the vault with their hands, do a gymnastics skill in the air, and then land on their feet.

**Floor - **40 by 40 feet of spring floor. Gymnasts implement dance elements into these routines as well as tumbling passes or series and other gymnastics skills.

**Amanar vault - **A back handspring, two and a half twists, and a blind landing.

**Thanks for reading! I hope this helps you understand more of my story!**


	7. Chapter 6 Surprises

The lights were down in the Rock, and the tension was up. Payson nervously did her triple full routine in her mind. She envisioned herself landing it perfectly. Lauren was mentally performing her new Amanar vault. She stuck it cold every time.

Sasha gathered all the girls in a group huddle. "All right, I've made my decisions for the proceedings today. On beam, Rosie, Payson, Kelly, and Lauren. Emily, you won't compete on this apparatus." He gestured to each of the girls in turn. Payson, his star gymnast and comeback kid. Lauren, the spoiled Queen of the Beam. Kelly, determined but minimally progressing. He was holding off telling her that she had probably peaked at Worlds and her career as a gymnast was likely over. And Rosie, the power gymnast. She was really supposed to be in her last year as a junior, but Sasha had bumped her up to compete with the senior, elite-level gymnasts in Kaylie's absence. She was as talented as Payson had been in her last junior level year, but she was incredibly insecure. She looked downright terrified. He gave her a warm smile, but was inwardly groaning. _Why, Kaylie? Why?_

"On floor: I want Lauren, Emily, Payson, and Kelly. Rosie'll sit out floor." Rosie nodded, relaxing. Even Emily knew that Rosie's floor routine had a low degree of difficulty. But floor was Lauren's weakest event. Why wasn't Sasha putting Rosie up for massacre instead of Lauren?

"On bars: I would like to have..." Sasha paused, rereading his notes. "Ah. Yes. Emily, Kelly, Rosie, and Payson." Emily spun to face Lauren, who didn't look the least bit surprised. Emily was shocked. Usually it was _her _who was sitting out bars. She hadn't practiced her routine all week, because she'd assumed Lauren would be competing. Big mistake.

"And, finally on vault, I want Kelly to sit out so that leaves Payson, Emily, Rosie and...Lauren." Emily spun to face Lauren, shocked at this change in their usual line-up. Lauren didn't look surprised. Instead, she looked smug.

"Sasha, don't you think _I_ should sit out for bars so that I could compete on vault?"

Sasha's weak grin disappeared. "Emily, what vault are you doing now?" he asked.

"My Yurchenko 1 1/2," she replied. "Same as always."

"Lauren, what vault are you doing?" Sasha said, more of a demand than a question.

Lauren smiled like the Cheshire cat. "An Amanar, Sasha," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Which, I believe, Em, is a whole six-tenths of a point higher than a _Yurchenko. _Unless you could do a 3 1/2."

Emily squirmed. Lauren knew she could barely get two full spins around on her Yurchenko vault.

"So it's settled then," Sasha said, ending the discussion completely. "Lauren will vault today instead of bars."

* * *

Lauren stood on the side and watched Rosie weakly finish a beam routine and stumble on her dismount, which was of a low DOD anyway. She looked around for her father and his wench when she spotted a familiar face.

_"Kaylie?" _she said in surprise. Payson turned around. "Kaylie's still in the hospital, she's not-" but abruptly cut herself off as she too spotted Kaylie's familiar brown hair among the crowd watching the meet. Kaylie was dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and jeans but otherwise looked like she would any other day at the gym. Hair pulled back, no makeup, and face glowing.

Lauren ran to hug her, oblivious to the fact that Kelly was now on the beam and she only had minutes to catch Kaylie up on three weeks. She wrapped Kaylie in a huge hug.

"Kay! Are you okay?" Kaylie nodded. A small tear slipped down her face. "Looks like you're doing fine without me."

Lauren shook her head vigorously. "Do you see that girl?" she said angrily. "Do you know who she _is_?"

Kaylie nodded. "Rosie Donald. Junior? Really good on bars. Sasha thinks she's like Payson before the accident."

Lauren threw her hands up. "How does everybody but _me _know her? Anyways, they're using _her _to fill your spot until you come back. You- you are coming back, right?"

Kaylie began to full-on cry. "I really don't know, Lo," she said finally. "I don't know if I can do this anymore if I'm going to be fat."

Lauren laughed. "Kaylie? Kaylie Cruz, _fat?_Are you kidding me? You're, like, the skinniest girl at the Rock." She suddenly wished she could take back her words. "I-I mean,-"

Kaylie rested her hand on Lauren's shoulder. "I _know._ And they're calling the Queen of the Beam to perform, but I just don't know if I can stop restricting and still feel perfect. Recovery is a lifelong battle."

Lauren smirked. "You sound like my therapist."

Kaylie stiffened. "You mean _my_ therapist?"

Lauren pulled back, stricken. She'd put her foot in her mouth _again_.

"Lauren Tanner on beam, last call!" Lauren dashed off to reclaim her throne. She wasn't letting any stupid thing with Kaylie affect her chances at beating the pulp out of Kelly Parker.

* * *

Sasha sighed. He watched Payson complete a flawless but lackluster bars routine. When she came off, he calmly - but firmly - took her by the shoulders. "Payson," he whispered. "Haven't you been practicing bars?" He studied her face. She was searching his and looked disappointed with his disappointment in her.

"No, Sasha. I'm sorry. I was- er, busy."

He began to massage his temples. "You were busy? You were busy filming commercials, and shooting makeup ads, and - and God knows what else! Don't make excuses, Payson! Being a gymnast got you this far and now you want to throw it all away over a few cameras?"

Payson's eyes filled with tears. "Sasha, I-"

"You'd better go out there and perform the best dang vault of your life if you want to stay at the Rock!" He threatened her. Her teary eyes clouded over and she tried hard not to cry as she chalked up and made her way blindly to the end of the vault.

She saluted and began her run. She let the tears spill out as she hit the springboard, smacked the vault, and stuck a perfect landing. A nine, at least. She walked straight past Sasha without waiting to hear her score and slammed the door of the locker room.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews! Keep it up! :)**

**Also, what do you guys think will/want to happen with Payson? Sorry, not a Pay/Sash shipper so that probably won't happen. **

**Will Kaylie come back? And why does Lauren hate Amber?**

**Sorry for the wait! Another chapter will be up tomorrow for your wait!**


	8. Chapter 7 Rocky Decisions

CHAPTER 7 - ROCKY DECISIONS

* * *

**This is a short chapter. I'm a little blocked but wanted to get at least this much up!**

* * *

Sasha opened the front door of the Rock. It was the day after the invitational that the Rock had won by a sliver, instead of the huge margin they'd been hoping for. Most of the girls were quietly training by themselves.

A deliveryman followed him in. He wheeled in a large box. "Are you-" he shifted his clipboard to read the name, "Sasha Belov?"

Sasha sighed. "Unfortunately so," he replied, taking the pen and signing his name. "Any idea what this is?"

They man shook his head. "I just deliver the mail, bro."

Sasha smiled. "Have a good day, then," he said, waving as the man wheeled his empty cart out the door.

The man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

Sasha pulled a box cutter out of his desk. He sliced the large box open. An invoice sat on top. He picked it up and began to read.

GK ELITE

SPECIAL ORDER WOMENS LEOTARDS BLACK/RED

24 $278

TOTAL: $6,672

BILL TO: SASHA BELOV C/O THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GYMNASTICS TRAINING CENTER

He lifted the leos out one by one and began to read the names embroidered in crystals on the back. KEELER. PARKER. TANNER. CRUZ. STRAIN. KMETKO. God, Emily. Sasha knew as well as most of the Rock did that the Kmetkos could never afford a leo that expensive. The invoice fluttered to the floor. Sasha's face went white. Who had ordered the new leos? And _who _had committed the parents of Rock elites to paying $300 just for one competition leo?

_Payson._

"PAYSON KEELER! MY OFFICE, _NOW!_" He roared across the gym. Payson was in the middle of her bars routine, and slipped off when she whipped her head around to face Sasha. She hit the mat with a _thump_. All the gymnasts froze. _Payson? Payson _was in trouble?

Payson trudged towards the Rock office and reluctantly climbed the stairs to come face to face with a furious Sasha Belov. He gestured her to come in to the office, and then slammed the door shut.

"Payson, when I asked you to choose the new competition leos, I distinctly do _not _remember asking for you to change the Rock colors _or_ to design a leo that cost THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS!" His face was red and he was shouting. Payson winced. Sasha noticed she was shivering.

"I-I thought red and black would be cooler colors," she replied quietly. "Lauren likes them too."

Sasha was bewildered. "And did you ask _anybody _if they were willing to shell out nearly $300 for them? Or did you just assume the Rock's surplus would cover it?

"I-"

"Because Payson, the Rock's surplus _all _went to cover the Chinese national team coming _here_. We don't ask our gymnasts to pay dues so that the elite girls can wear custom-made leos _once_." He spit out the words. "We use them to make a better gym, to give everyone the best chance they can to go to the Olympics. And also, Payson, did you do any research before you chose these colors?"

Payson remained silent. She knew it wasn't really a question. She dreaded what was coming next.

"Because if you had, you'd've known that University of Georgia Gymdogs have recently opened a training center for elite athletes. And their colors are black and red. I don't think GK Elite is going to take these back, so you'd better hope and pray that we don't compete against them this year."

Payson nodded timidly. She'd given up all hopes of redeeming herself. But Sasha wasn't close to finished.

"Payson, I don't expect this from you. I expect - well, excellence. And responsibility for your team. And you should know better than anyone that Emily can't afford this." Payson blushed. She was thoroughly humiliated.

Sasha softened. "Payson, you're never like this. Is the pressure getting to you?"

Payson shook her head slowly. "Sasha, I just...it's almost, fun, to be loved for something other than gymnastics. It's fun to put on a pretty dress or take nice pictures." She turned bright red as she spoke. Sasha bit back a laugh.

"But you don't want to leave gymnastics behind, do you?" he asked. "The reason you had the surgery? The reason people love you?" As much as it stung, it was the truth.

Payson shook her head, more firmly now. "No. I love gymnastics, I just don't know if I can keep on being all gymnastics, all the time." She squirmed in her chair.

Sasha took her hand. "You can have more than one life, Payson," he said. "And it's all right to take endorsements and be a star - as long as you remember what made you one."

* * *

Payson's arc is ending! The next arc will begin in the next chapter, either Lauren or Kaylie. I'll write whatever comes to me. :)

Wanna see the leos Payson picked? Click here!

Gymnastics-SpecialOrderDesignStudio-WomensLongSleeveLeotards/9554


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